A high-ranking government official, preferring to remain anonymous, provided details on some of the main points of the democratic initiative, which was discussed on Monday at a security summit attended by Erdoğan as well as ministers who participate in the National Security Council (MGK) meetings in Ankara. Stressing that the government is not considering changing the Turkish alphabet to include the letters Q, W and X as part of the initiative, the same source said the law banning education in languages other than Turkish will be amended, allowing private language schools to teach Kurdish.
According to the government's reform draft, the Education Ministry will also revise its curriculum to include Kurdish as an elective course at schools in addition to English and German. Although official education in languages other than Turkish will not be allowed, citizens who want to learn Kurdish will be able to study it at public education centers. With an amendment to the Law on the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), the government also plans to extend the period of time private television and radio stations are allowed to broadcast in Kurdish. According to the amendment, RTÜK will grant more time to private TV and radio stations to air broadcasts in Kurdish. Private TV stations currently have the right to broadcast programs in Kurdish provided that they do not exceed four hours per week, and radio stations have the same right provided that they do not exceed five hours a week.
Other issues currently on the agenda of the Kurdish initiative, according to the data provided by the same government official:
1- The former Kurdish names of settlements will be restored. Other ethnic groups in the country will also be able to use place names in their mother tongue as long as they apply to change them.
2- The scope of freedom of expression will be expanded with changes to Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). At the same time, the government will take measures to ensure that there are no gaps in the law that allow hate speech or hate crimes.
3- Turkish citizenship will be restored to individuals who were forced to leave the country following Sept. 12, 1980 coup.
4- Two-hundred fifty new schools will be built in the East and the Southeast of the country. The practice of the morning reading of the Turkish pledge of allegiance at primary schools will be abolished.
5- Local governments will be strengthened. The bulk of authority of the central government will be transferred to local governments in a way that it will not damage the structure of the unitary state.
6- The content of history courses at high schools and primary schools will be changed over time to exclude the denial of Kurds as an ethnic group.
7- Children from Kurdish families who throw stones at police officers during demonstrations in the East and Southeast have been facing trial in high criminal courts under the Counterterrorism Law. The government will put an end to this practice by changing Article 9 of the law, thus preventing courts from handing down adult sentences for these children.
8- As part of the package, the 81st Article of the Political Parties Law on the Prevention of the Formation of Minorities, which limits the use of non-Turkish languages in political demonstrations, campaign slogans, signs, brochures and other materials, will be changed, allowing the use of Kurdish.
9- A general pardon will not be granted for terrorists of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
10- The partial amnesty law stipulated under Article 220 of the TCK -- known as the active repentance law -- will be made effective.
11- Drafting a new Constitution is not included in the reform plan of the government.